As former President of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) and being instrumental in the BAP decision to conform to the merger proposed by a group including yourself, FIBA Asia President Sheikh Saud Bin Ali Al-Thani, FIBA Asia Secretary General Dato Yeoh Choo Hock, I would like to raise some disturbing issues that continue to hound the sport in our country.

In keeping with the provisions of that agreement in Bangkok, several members of the Board of Trustees of the merged BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP) initiated the holding of a regular election as the previous set of officers held their positions on an interim capacity for a period of one year.

Having complied with the provision for a regular election last June 4, 2008, the new set of officers reported this to FIBA and FIBA Asia.

What is disturbing is FIBA has shown no indication of recognition for the legitimate act of the BAP-SBP officers numbering 65 of the total 87 (seven of which are common to both BAP-SBP) who elected Honorable Prospero A. Pichay and Rep. Luis R. Villafuerte as new President and Chairman.

All the while, we basketball-loving sportsmen of this country thought that compliance was the operative word in obtaining FIBA recognition. The delay in FIBA’s action to recognize that June 4, 2008 election results, invites us to suspect irregularities as that Bangkok Agreement was designed by no less than yourself and FIBA Asia officials.

Are we to think that you yourself are not convinced with the provisions of the Bangkok Agreement that any sincere attempt to follow it to the letter can only mean frustration on the part of our local basketball leaders?

What makes matters worse is that FIBA had allowed the group of Mr. Manuel Pangilinan, the ousted president of the interim merger, to conduct its own version, or better yet a mockery, of the election process on June 12, 2008 with a handful of his loyalists or balance of the 87 because the 65 opted to participate in the legit session on June 4. Worse still, Pangilinan appointed as his executive director the disbarred Noli Eala who you had a gentlemen agreement in Bangkok as not being qualified to hold any position in the merger for glaring conflict of interest.

This, I feel, is an inarguable show of bias on the part of FIBA and blatant disregard of an agreement, provisions of which are so simple that even an ordinary high school graduate would be able to understand.

It also forces me to ask the question why FIBA seems to be uncomfortable with a moral and diligent response from other Board of Trustees members, who have painstakingly followed the Bangkok Agreement?

Personally, I am appalled by this despicable attempt to accommodate Pangilinan and his cohorts and allow them to lead our basketball body with mindless abandon using money in lieu of good ideas and a public relations machine to conceal the true state of the sport.

Let me repeat, basketball in the Philippines is not a business but a real passion. Allow the legitimate leaders to cure its shortcoming and put an end to the divisive claws implanted by personal interests such as those openly displayed by Pangilinan and his rah-rah boys.

Mr. Baumann, this is the moral thing to do and if this is a mistake, it will be our mistake as a nation and no international organization should interfered with our learning process.